Name: Homemade Chinese Curry Sauce - Chip Shop Style {Gluten Free and Vegan}
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 2 People (150ml)
Ingredients: 4 tsp cornflour ((cornstarch)); 1 tsp curry powder ((or more to taste)); 1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice Mix; 1/4 tsp Ground Ginger; 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder; 1 tbs Non diary Spread ((or butter)); 2 tsp Soy Sauce ((*or tamari to be gluten free)); 2 tsp Chili Sauce ((or more to taste)); 240 ml Vegetable stock; 1 tsp Lemon Juice ((optional))

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This homemade takeaway Chinese curry sauce – served British chip shop style on fat chips is never going to be Instagram worthy – but is so so good. Thick, gloopy with no added nasties. A great fakeaway treat. Naturally vegan and gluten free.

Table of Contents

Chinese Curry Sauce

Yes, it’s possible to exist on a diet high in virtuousness and low in sin, all steamed vegetables and righteousness. But sometimes the urge to shun all that’s healthy and indulge in of a wicked treat is strong. And this Chinese curry sauce is the perfect example; it will never be a staple, but every now and then I’m going to really enjoy going full trashy with Chinese curry sauce, especially on chips. It’s the perfect sauce for enjoying a fakeaway home-made takeaway treat.

There is nothing authentic about this Chinese curry sauce. Britain might have a proud maritime history, with a melting pot of food cultures incorporating all sorts of dishes from East and West, but sometimes they are adapted into something unrecognizably different from the original. This is one example; there is nothing Chinese or Indian about it. Doesn’t mean it’s not good, though.

I have to briefly touch on the way this takeaway curry sauce looks. There’s no way of dressing it up to look good, and there are so many rather unsavoury possible points of comparison that I’m not even going to start listing them. The only thing to do is ignore it, and get stuck in.

The perfect way to serve this Chinese curry sauce is on proper thick cut chips, and eating them while walking home from the pub. Short of that, you can use a helping of chip shop chips, or even ones you’ve cooked yourself (they could even be oven chips). The advantage of eating our sauce rather than that from the shop is that ours contains no chemical flavours or preservatives, and it’s actually both vegan and gluten free. And it’s not just chips: there are plenty of other ways of using this sauce.

I’ve got leftover Chinese Curry Sauce – Can I freeze it?

Absolutely you can freeze this easy curry sauce. Pour into a small plastic tub and freeze. Allow to defrost and reheat a small quantity in the microwave. It will keep in the fridge for a few days too, giving you an excuse for more chips to use it up!

3 more ways to serve Chinese curry sauce

Noodles. Cook some Asian noodles according to the packet instructions. Drizzle over some sauce for that indulgent treat without the hassle of chips.
Stir fry sauce. Fry some small pieces of chicken. Add vegetables. Then pour over the sauce and cook for a few minutes for a quick and easy DIY cook in sauce.
Rice. Like noodles, cook some rice according to your favourite method. Stir fry some vegetables, add the rice and curry sauce and heat through. Or drizzle it over my Instant Pot Chinese Rice.

This recipe relies on cornflour to give it the right thick and slightly sticky consistency. Follow these guidelines for cornflower success.

How to thicken a sauce with cornflour (cornstarch)

Cornflour is an excellent thickener for sauces, soups and stews. Unlike regular flour it does not need cooking with fat into a roux to stop it tasting floury.
Just a little cornflour will thicken most liquids to a glossy coating sauce. It also has the advantage of being gluten free.

Simply place 1-2 tsp per litre of liquid you would like thickening into a small bowl, add a couple of table spoons of liquid, mix well and then stir through the dish, allow to cook for a few minutes to thicken, and repeat as needed. A little goes a long way, and it will get thicker as it cooks, so it is better to do it in stages than add too much.

The important thing to remember is always add the liquid to the cornflour rather than the other way round. Dishes thickened with cornflour can be slightly gelatinous, especially if you want to make a really thick sauce, which makes it perfect for Asian and Chinese style sauces.

This recipe is quite straightforward. Mix some of the cornflour and spices give them a quick fry, then slowly add stick, thicken, then simmer until it is nicely thick and gloopy! Delicious and cheaper than chips!

4.97 from 29 votes

Homemade Chinese Curry Sauce - Chip Shop Style {Gluten Free and Vegan}

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

15 mins

This homemade takeaway Chinese curry sauce - chip shop style on fat chips is so so good. Thick, gloopy with no added nasties. Gluten Free and Vegan.

Course: Snack

Cuisine: British

Keyword: chinese, Chinese curry sauce, curry, dressing, sauce

Servings: 2 People (150ml)

Calories: 89 kcal

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Ingredients

4 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
1 tsp curry powder (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice Mix
1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tbs Non diary Spread (or butter)
2 tsp Soy Sauce (*or tamari to be gluten free)
2 tsp Chili Sauce (or more to taste)
240 ml Vegetable stock
1 tsp Lemon Juice (optional)

Instructions

Mix half the cornflour and all of the dry spices together in a small bowl
Melt the spread or butter in a small saucepan, add the cornflour mixture and fry for a minute, stirring all the time until fragrant.
Turn the heat down and slowly start to add the stock a few spoons at a time stirring all the time. Make sure it is mixed well before you add more.
Place the reminder of the cornflour in a small bowl and add a few spoons of the stock to it. Mix well. Add to the pan of sauce, stirring well.
Add the remainder of the stock, the lemon juice, soy sauce, and stir. Cook for a few minutes, stirring all the time, making sure to carefully scrape the sides and bottom of the pan.
With a gentle simmer the sauce will rapidly thicken. If it thickens to much add a little water.
Serve immediately with chips as a dip, or use for a curry sauce.

Recipe Notes

Season to your taste with extra curry or chilli.
The Chinese Five Spice blend is what gives the sauce that authentic takeaway Chinese Curry Sauce note - it is subtle, but very necessary.
It is really important to keep stirring and scraping the sides and bottom of the pan when making this, or you can en up with gelatinous lumps in your sauce. If this happens simply pass it though a fine mesh sieve.
Soy sauce is generally NOT gluten free. You need to use a certified gluten free brand or a tamari for a gluten free sauce.
Leftovers can be froze, pour into a plastic pot, seal and freeze, once defrosted reheat in a pan or microwave.

Nutritional Information